Buttonhole-stitching machine.



A. READ.

BUTTONHOLE STITCHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 23. 1913.

1,149,482. Patented May 25, 1915.

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BUTTONHOLE STITCHING M'ACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 23. 1913.

Patented May 25,1915.

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was? 3 ,Zwez 1 4 272 1/; (rm A i l cad (& 7219(l5/ 1 U 6 FRED A. nnhn, or LYNN, msnmsam, ASSIGNQB To manor: BUTTON none MACHINE comm,- on. BOSTON, "MASSACHUSETTS, A comonA'rrolv or MAINE.

' lBUIITONHOL'E-STITCHINQ-INLACHINE.

zen of the United States, residing at Lynn,

in the county of Essexand State of Massachusetts, have in ented certain new and u eful Improvements in Buttonhole-Stitching fication, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

I Ill-his invention relates to" buttonhole stitchingmachines, more particularly machinesf ef-that type hich is'known to the trade-as th .5 Reece -bi1ttonhole machine, wherein a, stitch frame; carrying the stitch forming mechanism on theone. hand and a workclamp or support on the other hand,'

is relatively movabless'o "-as to enable the stitching to :be carried along the sides of the buttonhole and around its end or ends.

Such stitch forming mechanism comprises usually" an eye-pointed needle carrying the upper thread and, below and. opposed thereto, the so-called complemental stitch formingmechanism or under-sewing meChanismi, which carries and-operates an under thread in cooperation withthe needle carry;

ing the upper thread.

Reference may be made for convenience to the prior p'atent;of"-UW.'-W. Dixon,- No.

bearing engaged by the hub, and located 695,039, asfillustrafing the general type of buttonhole stitching machine -to which the present invention is :shown applied It is a general object hereof-to simplify the construction and operation ofimachines of the class referred to. A particular object hereof is to improve the fittings of the curved under needle which oscillates along a curved path from below to above the work, by providing such needle, with a needle carrier having a spoke and a hub, the carrier spoke and hub combined.

into a single rigid member, and having a wholly-beneath the work support in afixed position upon the bodily shifting stock,

1 which carries the-under sewing mechanism.

Thus the objectionable curved race" of the aforesaid Patent $95,039 is dispensed with,

and at the same time no loose connections or needles center ofos'cillation to be located links have been-introduced in lieu thereof.

Another object is to provide a special construction of bearing for'the needles' circular movements, which will enable the Machines, of which the following is a specir port,. and. yet capable of movement thereunder with the shifting of the stock.

transversely to the claims.

' Applicationfiled na aa, 1913. serial no. 7693375.

substaiitially at, although slightly below, the work level, thus insuring that the needle will enter the plane of the work at substan-.

tially. right angles thereto; this being attained by the use of an opposed-cone or pointbearing, which maybe located in a very high position beneath the work .sup-

Another'object is to provide a special ad justabi'lity of the opposed-point hearing by fitting one of the opposed polnts to adjust axis of the needles swinging, whereby the adjuster .may initiallyproperly adjust the position ofvthe needles pathiwhile the other pointis adjustable axially for securing suitable rela 'tion to the hub.' 1

Another object is to provide in an under rier, spoke and hub referred to, a means of relative adjustment as between the carrier and hub this being efie'cted by increasing or decreasing the length of the connecting spokethereby altering as desired the needles radius of oscillation. Still further objects will be made to appear in the hereinafter following description. v

First will be described for convenience, one form-in which the present. invention may tures will be set forth the appended In .the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, Figure'l is what-,will be termed a front elevation of abuttonhole sew:

'ingmachine ,of the type hereinbefore referred to, and embodying the present improvements, certain parts being broken away, and others shown insectionfor better disclosure of the interior.- top planview of the shifting or' oscillating stock seen in Fig. 1, together with the under Fig. 2 is a- Specification of Iiiatters Iatent. .Fatented M35 25, 1915 sewing mechanism, having the combined carsewing mechanism carrie'dby' it. Fig. 3 is a partial right hand side elevation of the machine indicated in Fig. 1. Fig. 4: is a rear elevation of the oscillating stock and mechanism carried by it. Flg. 5 1s a right hand elevation ofthe upper portion of themechanism. Fig. dis a partial front elevation on an enlarged scale showing certain details of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a vertical n, taken upon the plane 7 7 of Fig. 6.

st be embodied, and thereafter thefnovel'fea- 4:0 gear 16. Withiiithesleev'e 17, is the .bar or Fig. 8, is a detail section taken on the plane 8, 8, of Fig. 7. Similar reference characters will be em ployed to designate corresponding parts in the several figures of thedrawings.

Certain parts may be referred to only generally, because shown in said prior Patent 695,039. r

Above the clamp frame 1, is the overhanging casing 2, in which reciprocates the needle bar 3, eccentrically carrying the eyepointed upper needle 4. The needle bar and I casing may be mounted in a stitch frame not shown, and the stitch frame also carrice the curb 5, so that the upper and under sewing mechanism bothtravel [with the stitch frame relatively to the clamp frame 1, as the stitching progresses. For guidance, the curb 5, has bolts6, bearing against ways 7, under the'clamp'frame. A rod 8, which derives motion from devices in the stitch frame, effects certain actions to be described.

Above the clamp frame is the cutter 9,

- with its carrying lever 10. Below the clamp frame,- and traveling with the stitch frame, is the stock or block 14:, having its circular upper bearing end 15, and near its lower Y end a gear16 and a sleeve 17 The sleeve,

which is hollow, is integral with the stock, and the hub 23 of the gear 16 surrounds the sleeve, while anut 24 secures the gear rigidly withthe sleeve and stock. Carried bythe stock 1 1 are, the tension 18 for the under thread, thelooper .19, and the throat plate 20. Surrounding the circular upper end 15 of the stock 14, isthe circular portion21 of the curbor casing 5,-and depending therefrom is a loop shaped portion 22,- having a vertical circular opening in its central lower portion, toreceive the hollow hub 23 of the actuator 25, which is also hollow, to permit the under thread passing upwardly through its lower end and from an aperture 26 thereof to the tension 18. The actuator 25 effects the movements" of the various parts carried by the stock 14,. and the actuator is'moved upwardly and; do'wnwardly'through an enlargement 27 at 1 its lower'end embraced between two loose,

cup shaped disks 28 and 29, which are borne respectively upon the two forks 30 and 31" i. of an oscillating lever 32, pivoted at-33, be-

tween two hangers 34, which are connected by screws 35 with the loopfshaped portion 22. The extremity of lever 32, is connected. to the rod 8 before referred to, whereby the rod can oscillate the lever and thereby vert1- cally reciprocate theactuator 25.

It will be understood that the stock 14 is in the nature of a carriage or frame for supporting the working parts of the under mechanism, andthat it shifts bodily during I stitching 5 for example, by a circular moveinent aboutits vertical axis, together with the working parts carried by it, while these of movement of the arm'38, thereby controlling the amount of'oscillation of the takeup lever.

The looper 19 has a composite motion as usual.

The looper is elongated and book shaped at'its end, witha barb at the point of thehook for entering a loopof upper thread and spreading it for the entrance of the under needle. It is shown fitted for bodily oscillation lengthwise of itself, and for swingingslightly at its operative end laterally to its length. Its preferred action is to move leftwisein Fig. 1, while the up per needle is below the work so as to pass between the needle and upper thread thus taking a loop' which it slightly opens or spreads and carries leftwi'se-beyond the path of the under needle, then swinging forward slightly to bring its loop in the pathof the under needle which on'the following ascent enters the loop, the looper finally withdrawingto'the right thus disengaging itself from the loop and taking a proper position to repeat operations. 1

The train of mechanism for longitudinally bodily oscillating the looper 19 and" its carrier 60 comprises the cam lever .61 driven by the pin 62 at the upper end of the actuator 25. The looper carrier. and cam lever are connected by-a swivel shaft 63, that permits the lateral swinging .movement. Thetrain' of mechanism for causing such lateral movement comprises a rearwardly exten ing'pin 64, which runs along a curved rock arm 65, Fig. 4,, that is carried at the top end ofa rock shaft 66which has a stud and roller at its lower end acted .upon by the inclined surfaces of cam arm 68 which is pivoted to'the stock 14: at 69 and is actuated to swing upwardly and downwardly throu 'h a block 70 centrally engaged by a stud i1 whichis secured at its inner end to the actuator 25'; and the block and stud 70, 71 ma haveeccentric adjustability as indicated. spring 72 is shown tending to hold the in 64; incontact with the rock arm 65. y these mechanisms the looper 19 is made to properly cooperate with the needles in producing the buttonhole stitch.

\ The f clamp frame 1 with its horizontal plate 99, constitute a work support which may .be referred to as a horizontal work support for facility of description, although it will be understood that the use ma ses. a

of such words as t -horizontal, fyertical,

upper, lower-f?" is only'in a relative sens/e5. The bodily shiftable stock-14 below the work support has been alreadyreferred to, as :well as the means for shifting it cir-.

. The

'cularly during stitching Operation. 'curvedunder needle 11 is usually .curved to the arc of a circle. This needle is adapted to be oscillated along a curved path for forming stitches, usually about a center coincident with its own center 'ofcurvature.

The under needle 11- is shownisecured to a needle carrier 100, which may be similarly It'will be noticed that-the carrier 100 does not slide in a curved race as in said prior pate and, thereforephas no tendency to ind and excessively wear, but on the contrary freely swings about its center of, oscillation by; reason of the hub and ,spoke arrangementdescribed.

A bearing-isprovided which is engaged by the hub'102, and islocated wholly beneaththe "work support'99', and in a fixed position upon the stock 14, thereby the stock may "freely move beneath the work support, carrying the under needle and fittings with it, without conflict,

.Be'fore describin actuating connections for the needle-carrier will be referred to. Y

From the upstanding projection103 of the carrier 100, projects rearwardly an extension or pin 1504, which at its rear end Flg. 4, is connected by a short link 105 with, the upwardly extending arm. 106 of an oscillating lever 107 actuated to swing upwardly and downwardly about its pivot 108, by means of a pm 109 rearwardlyprojecting from the actuator 25. As i's'usi'lal, the plane of the needle movement may be slightly inclined from the vertical, and the pivot 108 of the lever 107 will be correspondingly inclined from the horizontal.

To allow for relative movements, the horizontal portions of the lever 107 may have a cylindrical recess occupied by acylinder 110 to which the pin 109 is connected. This affords a universal connection between the actuator 25 and the lever 107. An extension on the swinging end of lever 107 may pass beneath an upright plate 111 for guidance of the extension.

At its upper right hand portion, the stock the hub bearing, the

14 may be formed or provided with an'upstanding extension112 which is in the na-' ture of a frame or skeleton, it having an elongated and: c ved. opening 113 for. the free passage Ofg 6 pm- 104 before referred to.

-As an assistanceto the hub bearing in guiding the needle carrier,=and to protect such hearing from excessive strain, the carrier 100 at its rear side may have a sliding .face contact as shown against the front surface of the extension 112. This sliding contact assists in keeping the needle carrier in its proper path while the pivotal fittings of the hub 102 determine its path.

The hub 102 is shown as fitted t0 the extension 112 by an opposed-cone or point bearing; Preferably the hub has axial recesses 114 engaged by a front cone 115, and

an opposed rear cone 116. The rear cone 116'is shown secured to the upstanding extension 112. For supporting the front cone 115 the extension is proyided with a bridge piece 117 which may be {the nature of a frame secured in fixed \position, spaced apart in front'of the extension and opposed to it.

Owing to the compactness of the bearin}; described, it is possible with this construction to locate the axis about which the under needle swings at'an extremely high point almost to the level of the work plate,

so that the needle by simple oscillation about a vsingle actual center or hub may effectually pass through the work and return, entering the work plate at nearly.

right angles to the plane thereof.

A valuable feature of perfection of the above described apparatus is the adjustability of the hub bearings. Thus referring to Figs. 6, 7 and 8, it 'will be seen that the foremost of the opposed cones or points is adjustable transversely to the axis of the needles. swinging. Thus when being in-- itially adjusted, the mechanism permits the needles path to be accurately positioned with respect to the throat plate. Thecone point 115 is at the inward end of a small casting or support 118 which is shaped to overlie both edges of the upper bar of the bridge piece 117. The bridge piece at this point is formed with a recess .119 at its upper side,

and thecone point support 118 fits loosely therein, so as topermitlateral shifting. A bolt 120 passing through parts118 and 117 serves to lock them when in properly adjusted position. As seen in Fig. 8,the bolt -120 engages the part 118through an elongated slot in the latter soas not to interfere with the lateral shifting or adjustment referred to. Thepther cone point116 is formed at the forward end of the screw 121 which has threaded engagement with the extension 112. In this Way the rear cone point has axial adjustment for securing a the hub. A locknut 122 secures the-screw 121 inadjusted-position. 'In this way one of the cone points adjusts-axially for properly suitable relation between the cone pointe and;-

setting the bearing, and theother adjusts transversely for properly positioning the needles path. Reference has already been made to the inclined plane of the n'eedles' movement. This necessitates an axis of swinging which is'inclined from the horizontal as is indicated in Figs. 5 and 7 One of the conepoints is thereby higher than: the other. In the improved arrangement shown, the front or higher cone point is the one that is transversely adjustable, while the onethat" is axially adjustable is the lower. This arrangement permits the casting or support 118 for the'higher cone point 115 to be designed; with a beveled oil surface 123 at its upper corner so that on top it is substan- "tially horizontal, thus avoiding a vertical v projection, and enabling a higher'positioning of the needles axis of swinging.-

In order to adjust the relation between the I needle carrier 100 and its hub or center of oscillation '102 for Varying the effective length of the spoke, and, therefore, the ra- ,dius of oscillation, the following devices may be employed: The spoke 101 is shown as screw-threaded at 124to engage a threaded recess within the carrier 100. By this a rrangement the parts constitute a ri 'd unit when in operation, but when detached, the spoke and carrier may berelatively adjusted by the pitch oftone or more threads of screw referred to may be employed in various forms, irrespective of changes in other d'etails, no limitation herein is intended, either to specific features ordetails, excepting as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is: 1' I 1. A buttonhole stitching machine includ ing in combination, a work support, a bodily shiftable stock below the -awork support,' means for shifting the stock during stitching operations, a curved needle', adapted to be oscillated along a curved path for forming stitches, a combined carrier, spoke and hub constituting a single rigid member when in operation, an upstanding extensionprovided on said stock against which said carrier has a sliding face contact, and'a bear-'I ing engaged by said'hub located wholly beneathps'aid work support fii'iedpesitioxifi on said extension said extension consisting of a frame,- and having an'elo'ngat'ed open-"5' ing, and said carrier having an actiiating projection movable freely wi thir i 'said pe s mac 2. A buttonhole stitching machine including in combination, a work support, a bodily shiftable-i stock below" thework -*supp'ort,

means for shifting the stock during 'stitching" operations, a curved needle adapted to be oscillated along a curved path for forming stitches, a combined carrier, spoke, and

hub constituting a single rigid member-' when in operation, 'and an opposed: cone bearing between said hub and stock located wholly beneath said work support in'a fixed position on said stock. f z '3. Abuttonhole stitching machine includ ing in combination, a work support, a bo'd' ily shiftable stockbelow'the .work support, means for shifting the stock during stitching operations, acurved needle adapted to be oscillated along a, curved path for' form-;

ing stitches, a combined carrier, spoke and hub constituting a single rigid member when in operation, an upstanding fixed extension provided on said stock against which said carriertin its movements has face bearing at one side, and an opposed-cone bearing be tween said hub and stock located wholly beneath'said work support in a fixedposi- 'tion on said extension; said extension provided'with a bridge piece spaced apart/from the extension, with said hub and 'oppo sed.

cones between them.

4, A buttonhole stitching machine includ ing in combination, a work ,support', a 'bod-' ily shiftable' stock below the work support, means for shifting the stock during stitching stitches, a'combine'd carrier, spoke: and

hub constituting a single rigid :member when in'operation-,'and' a bearing between said hub and stock located" wholly beneath said work supportzand comprising a pair of opposed points op tioning' the needles path-:1: v K

5. A buttonhole stitching-machine includ-f ing operations, a curved'needle adapted to -be oscillat ed along a curved path for'form} i ye i g h hub, one of 'said points 1 adjustable transversely to-the' axis of swinging foring in combination, a 'work'suppor't, a bodily shiftablestock ,below the IWOI'kS HPPOI' S, means for shifting the stock during: st1tching operationsf a'cu rved needle adapted to be oscillated a ong a curved path for form ingistitches, a COInb111Gd"C2LlI.'iGi, spoke and hub constituting asingle rigid member when] in' operation, and a 'beari'ng between 1 said ,hub and-stocklocated wholly-beneath said v work'supp'ortand comprising a pair of'op posed point'soppositely engaging the hub,

one of said points adjustable wtransven sely 'to' the axis of= swlnging"for'positioning the needles ath, and the other point adjustable axially or securing suitable relation to said hu 6. A buttonhole stitching machine including in combination, a work support, a bodily shiftable stock below the work support, means for shifting the stock during stitching operations, a curved needle adapted to be oscillated along a curved path for form-- ing stitches, a combined. carrier, spoke and hub constituting a single rigid member when in operation, and a bearing between said hub and stock located wholly beneath said work support and comprising a pair of opposed points oppositely engaging the hub, one of said points provided with a shiftable support for rendering it adjust-- able transversely to the axis of swinging for positioning the needles path.

7. A buttonhole stitching machine including in combination, a work support, a bodily shiftable stock below the work support,

means for shifting the stock during stitching operations, a curved needle adapted to be oscillated about an axis slightly inclined from horizontal for forming stitches, a combined carrier, spoke and hub constituting a single rigid member when in operation, and

an inclined bearing between said hub and stock located wholly beneath said work support and comprising a pair of opposed points oppositely engaging the hub, the lower of said' points adjustableaxially and the higher one and its fittings beveled all 8. A buttonhole stitchin "machine includ ing in combination, a wor support,,a bodily shiftable stock 'below'the work support,

means for shifting the stock during stitching operations, a curved needle adapted to.

be oscillated along a curved path for formingstitches, a combined carrier, spoke and hub constituting a single rigid member when in operation, and a bearing engaged by said hub located wholly beneath said work sup port in a fixed position on said stock; said combined member being constructed for adjustment of the effective length of spoke for varying the needles=radius of oscillation, and said bearing comprising two opposed points, relatively adjustable, and axially engaging said hub. I

9. A buttonhole stitching machine ineluding in combination, a work support, a needle adapted to be oscillated in a curved path for forming stitches, a combined carrier, spoke and hub constituting a single rigid member when in operation, and a bearing engaged by said hub located beneath sald work support; said combined member constructed for adjustment of effective spoke:

length by screw engagement between carrier and spoke.

10. .A buttonhole stitching machine in-- said work support; said hub and spoke cone stituting a headed screw with the head for:

the hub, and said carrier constructed to em gage the screw threads of said spoke.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRED A. READ. Witnessesi THOMAS J. GARTY, TERENCE D. GORDON. 

